Author: Sophocles
Title: Oedipus the King
Publication: included in Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Writing.
Pages: 37 pages
Genre: Classical
Acquisition: Work text
Date Completed: February 14, 2010
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
In a play originally written for the Great Dionysia, Sophocles presents the tragedy that occurs when a man attempts to flee his fate, only to run into it head-first.
The original audience, like the modern audience, knew the conclusion before the production itself ever began. What makes Sophocles' drama so compelling isn't the narrative, but how he chooses to tell the story. Sophocles' Oedipus is at once a loving, paternal king and an insecure man with a violent temper. In Oedipus the King his character is carefully developed so that readers can understand how much a dedicated ruler is capable of slaughtering an old man and his company for a slight on the highway. While the citizens of Thebes raised Oedipus to godlike stature after the defeat of the sphinx, Sophocles reveals that Oedipus is just a man, and a greatly flawed one at that.
One of the aspects I personally find most interesting is the hierarchy of sin as presented in Oedipus the King. From the beginning the crime of murder seems to control the dramatic flow, as the oracle's proclamation points to the unavenged murder of King Laios as the motivation for Apollo's curse. However, as knowledge spreads throughout the principle cast it is revealed that incest is the greatest sin that can be laid at Oedipus' feet. His relationship with Jocasta takes center stage, and causes the greatest repugnance in the cast. In a twisting moment the Chorus shifts from condemning Oedipus to cursing Jocasta, and the tragic events of the play flow from mother to son.
Oedipus the King, as translated by Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, is an elegant work of literature that treats audiences to the humanizing of myth, and the chance to witness a true fall from grace.
Challenges
75-Book Challenge: Book 16
1010 Challenge: Field-Related Book 2
Off-the-shelf:
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